Page 104 of Deadwood
“It’s yours to have, even after you leave.”
I shook my head. “I can’t take anything like that back to Amosite. My father would surely—” Surely what? The fact was, I had no clue what he’d do if I brought back souvenirs, let alone an entire book on dragons. Now that I was thinking about it, I didn’t believe I’d be able to take the necklace Siara had given me either.
Bowen made a humming sound behind me, but I chose not to pay it any mind. If he wanted to be judgmental, he could keep it to himself.
But then his chin appeared in my peripheral as he leaned over my shoulder, and his voice, smooth as honey, filled my ear. “Trouble at home, Princess?”
I spun on him. “Even if there was, I wouldn’t confide in you.”
He cocked an amused brow. “Does Father Dearest not know his precious daughter isn’t so innocent after all?”
“After this trip, I plan to keep it that way,” I gritted out, hoping he got the messagenotto say a word to him, should they speak.
“About the information in that book or the way you like how my hand feels wrapped around your throat?”
My nostrils flared, my cheeks surely reddening. I couldn’t let him get under my skin this easily.
“Or maybe”—he leaned closer, and the crowd faded away—“the way your breathing picks up its pace when you see me. Or how your heart rate skyrockets in my presence.”
I narrowed my eyes on him before spinning back around to follow after Siara once more, choosing to give him the cold shoulder and not let him succeed in getting under my skin. That’s all he was trying to do, and I wouldn’t let him.
We moved on to the next booth, finding leather satchels and sheaths for daggers and swords dangling from hooks above the worn table. A man with white hair sat behind the display, etching a design into a strip of leather. He looked young, his skin tan from long hours in the sun.
To the left of me, Siara snorted. “You can get your name etched into a sheath. How cute.” Her attention snagged on a small purse hanging from a metal hook, the size just big enough to hold a few vials of magic. She turned it over in her fingers, staring for a few moments longer, then dropped it, moving on to the next booth.
Behind me, Bowen was thankfully caught up in conversation with a guard who’d singled him out in the crowd. While he was distracted, I took some coin out of my pocket and set it on the table. The purse would be perfect for Siara, a gift in return for the necklace she’d bought me.
The man behind the table didn’t so much as glance at my coin, so I took the purse off the hook, adjusting the strap over my shoulder.
A hand grabbed my wrist, ripping the leather strap from my hold, and I was spun toward a hard chest. Bowen took the purse, setting it back on the table. “Fucking hell, Auria.”
“What?” I asked, exasperated with his tone. What the fuck had I done other than buy a purse?
He ran his hands down my arms, his eyes roaming frantically over every inch of my exposed skin. “Do you burn anywhere?”
“Burn? Why would Iburn?”
He pivoted my body side to side, then moved my hair off my neck. The act alone sent tingles skittering through me. “When you’re marked for stealing, your skin burns where the tattoo forms.”
His insinuation struck me. “I didn’t steal any magic. It’s apurse. I put coin down.”
He grabbed the bag, opening the flap to reveal a bundle of vials lying neatly inside. “You have to check inside before you try to buy anything.Nothingis safe.”
My jaw nearly dropped. “Why the hell would there be magic in there?”
“Some beings use these items to move magic.”
“Movemagic?” What the fuck was he talking about?
His lips rolled together. “Not everyone has access to specific types of magic in every region, so they smuggle it.” When I didn’t reply, because words evaded me altogether, he continued. “You’re sure you don’t burn anywhere?”
“Yes.” I’d know if I did. The sensation was all too familiar to me.
He searched my eyes, likely to see if I was telling the truth. “Best keep that little bit to yourself.” He set the purse back on the table.
“Why?” I hadn’t technically stolen it, and the absence of the ink was proof of that.
“Do not speak a word of this, Auria.” He checked around us to be sure no one had seen. The way my name rolled off his lips etched itself into my brain. His voice wrapped around me like a caress.
